Sesame Street presents Follow That Bird
Encyclopedia
Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird (commonly shortened to Follow That Bird) is a 1985 American road film
directed by Ken Kwapis
, starring many Sesame Street
characters (both puppets and live actors). This was the first of two Sesame Street
feature films, followed in 1999 by The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
. The film was produced by the Children's Television Workshop
and Warner Bros.
.
is sent to Oceanview, Illinois, to live with a family of dodo
s by Miss Finch (performed by Cheryl Wagner
and voiced by Sally Kellerman
), a social worker who thinks he needs to be with his own kind upon being sent to him by the Board of Birds. His new family thinks exactly the same, even saying he should have a bird as a best friend instead of Mr. Snuffleupagus. This causes Big Bird much distress.
When he runs away from his new home, his Sesame Street friends band together to find him. In a Volkswagen Beetle
is the group of Gordon, Olivia, Linda, and Cookie Monster
. The Count
departs in his Countmobile. Bert and Ernie
go out to search in an airplane. Grover
flies as Super Grover (later falling into the Volkswagen). Maria leaves with Oscar
, Telly
, and a Honker
in Oscar's Sloppy Jalopy. They all head out across America in search for their beloved Big Bird.
Big Bird has various adventures in his attempt to get home: first, he hitches a ride with a turkey truck driver (Waylon Jennings
). He then meets two kids, Ruthie and Floyd (Alyson Court
and Benjamin Barrett), at a farm and stays with them for a while. All the time, he is being pursued by Miss Finch, who wants to take him back to the Dodos. He has to leave the farm because of her arrival.
While out in a cornfield, Big Bird is spotted by Ernie and Bert in their plane. But when Ernie steers the plane towards him, he runs away scared because he doesn't know that it's his friends in it and thinks that it's Miss Finch wanting to take him back to the Dodos. Ernie turns the plane upside down and begins singing "Upside Down World", with Bert beginning to join in singing, but when they turn the plane back up, Big Bird is gone, and Ernie blames it all on Bert.
Big Bird is also sought by two scam artists, Sid and Sam Sleaze (Joe Flaherty
and Dave Thomas
, two actors who have appeared previously on SCTV
), who operate a lousy carnival
, The Sleaze Brothers Funfair. They want to capture him to put him on display. Eventually, Big Bird arrives in Toadstool, dubbed "The Mushroom City." Shortly after arriving, Miss Finch finds him there and gives chase through the city. On the outskirts of Toadstool, the Sleaze Brothers have set up their funfair, and Big Bird shows up asking if they have a place to hide him from Miss Finch. The two brothers then put him in their "hiding cage." Shortly afterwards, they decide to paint him blue and tout him as "The Bluebird of Happiness." However, his performance is not one of happiness, but of sadness, as he sings a song about wishing to be back home with his friends.
After the show, two children sneak backstage to see him. Upon noticing them, he asks them to call Sesame Street to tell his friends where he is. The children do so, and the next day, his friends sneak into the circus tent to try to free him. However, the Sleaze Brothers quietly wake up and attempt to drive off with Big Bird in tow. Eventually, Gordon and Olivia give chase and succeed in rescuing him from the truck. Shortly afterwards, the Sleaze Brothers are pulled over by a state trooper (John Candy
, another SCTV alumunus), and arrested on charges of counterfeiting, extortion, fraud, impersonating a dentist,and even stealing one of a kids' apples at their funfair.
Back on Sesame Street, Big Bird is happy to be back but then looks on as Miss Finch arrives to announce that she has found another bird family for him. Maria convinces Miss Finch that Big Bird can be, and is, happy there on Sesame Street—that it does not make any difference that his family consists of humans, monsters, Grouches, Honkers, and the other varieties of eclectic species on Sesame Street. What matters is that they are family. After considering what she's heard and realizing how far his friends went to try to bring him back, Miss Finch declares that Sesame Street is Big Bird's home. He is also reunited with Snuffy, who watched his nest while he was away. As Sesame Street goes back to normal, Oscar the Grouch is carried around the block in his can by Bruno the Trashman in order to get the happiness of Big Bird being back on Sesame Street out of him.
At the beginning of the end credits, Count von Count begins to count the movie credits (in a nod to the original series, Count calls Joan Ganz Cooney
, the co-creator of Sesame Street, "mom" when her name is credited as one of the executive producers). By the end of the credits in a brief "bonus scene" Count announces 278 credits and does his trademark laugh accompanied by a thunderclap (no lightning flash was present as was in his usual running gag).
Sandra Bernhard
appears in a cameo role as a Grouch Diner Waitress. Chevy Chase
appears as a newscaster. Paul Bartel
appears as a Grouch Diner Cook. John Candy
appears as a state trooper. Waylon Jennings
portrays a Turkey truck driver.
Board of Birds Members performed by Terry Angus
, Kevin Clash
, Tim Gosley
, Trish Leeper, Rob Mills
, John Pattison, Martin P. Robinson
, Bob Stutt
, and Nikki Tilroe
.com Follow That Bird currently has a "Certified Fresh" rating of 91%.
on February 5, 2002 and was available only in a 4:3 full screen edition. It was re-released in a special "25th Anniversary Edition" on March 24, 2009, presented in its original theatrical 1.85:1 widescreen format for the first time in the U.S. in 20 years. The re-released version is enhanced for display on 16×9 monitors.
Road movie
A road movie is a film genre in which the main character or characters leave home to travel from place to place. They usually leave home to escape their current lives.-History:...
directed by Ken Kwapis
Ken Kwapis
Ken Kwapis is an American film and television director and screenwriter. He specialized in the single-camera sitcom in the 1990s and 2000s and has directed feature films such as Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and He's Just Not That Into...
, starring many Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
characters (both puppets and live actors). This was the first of two Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
feature films, followed in 1999 by The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland is the second theatrical feature-length film starring the cast of the popular U.S. children's series Sesame Street...
. The film was produced by the Children's Television Workshop
Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop, formerly known as the Children's Television Workshop , is a Worldwide American non-profit organization behind the production of several educational children's programs that have run on public broadcasting around the world...
and Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
.
Plot
Big BirdBig Bird
Big Bird is a protagonist of the children's television show Sesame Street. Big Bird, like many of the other Sesame Street characters, is a Muppet character. He is sometimes referred to simply as "Bird" by his friends....
is sent to Oceanview, Illinois, to live with a family of dodo
Dodo
The dodo was a flightless bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Related to pigeons and doves, it stood about a meter tall, weighing about , living on fruit, and nesting on the ground....
s by Miss Finch (performed by Cheryl Wagner
Cheryl Wagner
Cheryl Wagner, the creator of The Big Comfy Couch, is a Gemini Award and Emmy award- winning Canadian children’s television writer, showrunner and producer who began her career as a performer in both theatre and on the screen...
and voiced by Sally Kellerman
Sally Kellerman
Sally Clare Kellerman is an American actress and singer known for her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the film MASH , for which she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.-Early life:...
), a social worker who thinks he needs to be with his own kind upon being sent to him by the Board of Birds. His new family thinks exactly the same, even saying he should have a bird as a best friend instead of Mr. Snuffleupagus. This causes Big Bird much distress.
When he runs away from his new home, his Sesame Street friends band together to find him. In a Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
is the group of Gordon, Olivia, Linda, and Cookie Monster
Cookie Monster
Cookie Monster is a Muppet on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is best known for his voracious appetite and his famous eating phrases: "Me want cookie!", "Me eat cookie!", and "Om nom nom nom" . He often eats anything and everything, including danishes, donuts, lettuce, apples,...
. The Count
Count von Count
Count von Count, often known simply as "The Count", is one of the Muppet characters on Sesame Street, performed by Jerry Nelson. The Count is a vampire modeled after Bela Lugosi's interpretation of Count Dracula.-Description:...
departs in his Countmobile. Bert and Ernie
Ernie
Ernie is a fictional character, a Muppet on the Public Broadcasting Service's long-running children's television show, Sesame Street. He and his roommate Bert form a comic duo that is one of the program's centerpieces, with Ernie acting the role of the naïve troublemaker and Bert the world-weary foil...
go out to search in an airplane. Grover
Grover
Grover is a Muppet character on the popular television show Sesame Street. Self-described as lovable, cute and furry, he is a monster who almost never uses contractions when speaking or singing....
flies as Super Grover (later falling into the Volkswagen). Maria leaves with Oscar
Oscar the Grouch
Oscar the Grouch is a Muppet character on the television program Sesame Street. He has a green body , has no nose , and lives in a trash can. His favorite thing in life is trash; evidence for this is the song "I Love Trash". A running theme is his compulsive hoarding of seemingly useless items...
, Telly
Telly Monster
Telly Monster, known usually as just Telly, is an eternally worrying, fuchsia monster Muppet on Sesame Street. He is puppeteered by Martin P. Robinson....
, and a Honker
Honkers
Honkers are friendly monsters from the children's television program, Sesame Street. These creatures have horns instead of ears and their noses are bulbs that can be pressed so that a "honking" sound comes out of the horns. They come in various colours and have appeared in the show since 1979...
in Oscar's Sloppy Jalopy. They all head out across America in search for their beloved Big Bird.
Big Bird has various adventures in his attempt to get home: first, he hitches a ride with a turkey truck driver (Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
). He then meets two kids, Ruthie and Floyd (Alyson Court
Alyson Court
Alyson Stephanie Court is a Canadian actress who first appeared in the 1985 children's film Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird, and played summer camper Dawn in the animated film Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation the following year...
and Benjamin Barrett), at a farm and stays with them for a while. All the time, he is being pursued by Miss Finch, who wants to take him back to the Dodos. He has to leave the farm because of her arrival.
While out in a cornfield, Big Bird is spotted by Ernie and Bert in their plane. But when Ernie steers the plane towards him, he runs away scared because he doesn't know that it's his friends in it and thinks that it's Miss Finch wanting to take him back to the Dodos. Ernie turns the plane upside down and begins singing "Upside Down World", with Bert beginning to join in singing, but when they turn the plane back up, Big Bird is gone, and Ernie blames it all on Bert.
Big Bird is also sought by two scam artists, Sid and Sam Sleaze (Joe Flaherty
Joe Flaherty
Joe Flaherty is an American-Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for his work on the Canadian sketch comedy SCTV, from 1976 to 1984, and as Harold Weir on Freaks and Geeks...
and Dave Thomas
Dave Thomas (actor)
David "Dave" Thomas is a Canadian comedian and actor. He was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, but moved to Durham, North Carolina where his father, John E. Thomas, attended Duke University and earned a PhD in Philosophy. Thomas attended George Watts and Moorehead elementary schools...
, two actors who have appeared previously on SCTV
SCTV
SCTV can refer to:*Second City Television, a Canadian sketch comedy television program*SCTV , an Indonesian TV station*SCTV , a television station of Sichuan province in China...
), who operate a lousy carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
, The Sleaze Brothers Funfair. They want to capture him to put him on display. Eventually, Big Bird arrives in Toadstool, dubbed "The Mushroom City." Shortly after arriving, Miss Finch finds him there and gives chase through the city. On the outskirts of Toadstool, the Sleaze Brothers have set up their funfair, and Big Bird shows up asking if they have a place to hide him from Miss Finch. The two brothers then put him in their "hiding cage." Shortly afterwards, they decide to paint him blue and tout him as "The Bluebird of Happiness." However, his performance is not one of happiness, but of sadness, as he sings a song about wishing to be back home with his friends.
After the show, two children sneak backstage to see him. Upon noticing them, he asks them to call Sesame Street to tell his friends where he is. The children do so, and the next day, his friends sneak into the circus tent to try to free him. However, the Sleaze Brothers quietly wake up and attempt to drive off with Big Bird in tow. Eventually, Gordon and Olivia give chase and succeed in rescuing him from the truck. Shortly afterwards, the Sleaze Brothers are pulled over by a state trooper (John Candy
John Candy
John Franklin Candy was a Canadian actor and comedian. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City and its related Second City Television series, and through his appearances in comedy films such as Stripes, Splash, Cool Runnings, The Great Outdoors, Spaceballs, and Uncle...
, another SCTV alumunus), and arrested on charges of counterfeiting, extortion, fraud, impersonating a dentist,and even stealing one of a kids' apples at their funfair.
Back on Sesame Street, Big Bird is happy to be back but then looks on as Miss Finch arrives to announce that she has found another bird family for him. Maria convinces Miss Finch that Big Bird can be, and is, happy there on Sesame Street—that it does not make any difference that his family consists of humans, monsters, Grouches, Honkers, and the other varieties of eclectic species on Sesame Street. What matters is that they are family. After considering what she's heard and realizing how far his friends went to try to bring him back, Miss Finch declares that Sesame Street is Big Bird's home. He is also reunited with Snuffy, who watched his nest while he was away. As Sesame Street goes back to normal, Oscar the Grouch is carried around the block in his can by Bruno the Trashman in order to get the happiness of Big Bird being back on Sesame Street out of him.
At the beginning of the end credits, Count von Count begins to count the movie credits (in a nod to the original series, Count calls Joan Ganz Cooney
Joan Ganz Cooney
Joan Ganz Cooney is an American television producer. She is one of the founders of the Children's Television Workshop , the organization famous for the creation of the children's television show Sesame Street. Cooney received her B.A...
, the co-creator of Sesame Street, "mom" when her name is credited as one of the executive producers). By the end of the credits in a brief "bonus scene" Count announces 278 credits and does his trademark laugh accompanied by a thunderclap (no lightning flash was present as was in his usual running gag).
Cast
- Joe FlahertyJoe FlahertyJoe Flaherty is an American-Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for his work on the Canadian sketch comedy SCTV, from 1976 to 1984, and as Harold Weir on Freaks and Geeks...
as Sid Sleaze - Dave ThomasDave Thomas (actor)David "Dave" Thomas is a Canadian comedian and actor. He was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, but moved to Durham, North Carolina where his father, John E. Thomas, attended Duke University and earned a PhD in Philosophy. Thomas attended George Watts and Moorehead elementary schools...
as Sam Sleaze - Alyson CourtAlyson CourtAlyson Stephanie Court is a Canadian actress who first appeared in the 1985 children's film Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird, and played summer camper Dawn in the animated film Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation the following year...
as Ruthie - Benjamin Barrett as Floyd
- Sally KellermanSally KellermanSally Clare Kellerman is an American actress and singer known for her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the film MASH , for which she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.-Early life:...
as Miss Finch (voice) - Laraine NewmanLaraine NewmanLaraine Newman is an American comedienne, actress, and writer, and was part of the original Saturday Night Live cast.-Personal life:...
as Mommy Dodo (voice) - Brian HohlfeldBrian HohlfeldBrian Hohlfeld is an American screenwriter best known for writing He Said, She Said and his work with the Winnie the Pooh franchise.Hohlfeld is responsible for numerous uncredited feature rewrites including work on The Mighty Ducks. Before moving to Los Angeles, California, he taught film...
as Daddy Dodo (voice) - Cathy SilversCathy SilversCathy Silvers is an American actress and author, and the daughter of legendary actor/comedian Phil Silvers. She is best known for her role as boy-crazy teenager Jenny Piccolo in later seasons of the iconic TV sitcom Happy Days...
as Marie Dodo (voice) - Eddie DeezenEddie DeezenEddie Deezen is an American character actor, voice actor and comedian, best known for his bit parts as nerd characters in 1970s and 1980s films such as Grease, Grease 2, Midnight Madness, 1941 and WarGames, as well as for larger roles in a number of independent cult films, including Surf II: The...
as Donnie Dodo (voice) - Bob McGrathBob McGrathRobert Emmet "Bob" McGrath is an American singer and actor best known for playing the human character Bob on Sesame Street. He was born in Ottawa, Illinois. McGrath was named for Irish patriot Robert Emmet....
as Bob - Roscoe OrmanRoscoe OrmanRoscoe Hunter Orman is an American actor who plays Gordon Robinson on the television program Sesame Street. Orman joined the show in 1973, taking over as the third actor to play Gordon on the show...
as Gordon - Linda BoveLinda BoveLinda Bove is a deaf American actress who played the part of Linda the Librarian on the children's television program Sesame Street from 1971 to 2003.-Sesame Street:...
as Linda - Sonia ManzanoSonia ManzanoSonia Manzano is an American actress and writer. She is best known for playing Maria on Sesame Street since 1971. She also licenses her image to promote items of baby clothes and plates in Hispanic America....
as Maria - Emilio DelgadoEmilio DelgadoEmilio Delgado is an American actor. He is best known for his long-running role as Luis, the friendly Fix-it Shop owner, on the children's television series Sesame Street. Delgado joined the cast of Sesame Street in 1971 and recently completed Season 41 with the show. He began his professional...
as Luis - Loretta LongLoretta LongLoretta Long is an American actress best known for playing Susan Robinson on Sesame Street, having starred on the show since its debut in 1969....
as Susan - Alaina ReedAlaina Reed HallAlaina Reed Hall was an American actress best known for her roles as Olivia, Gordon's younger sister, on the long-running children's television series Sesame Street, and Rose Lee Holloway on the NBC sitcom 227.-Early life and career:Born Bernice Ruth Reed in Springfield, Ohio, she began her career...
as Olivia - Kermit LoveKermit LoveKermit Ernest Hollingshead Love was an American puppeteer, costume designer, and actor in children's television and on Broadway...
as Willy
Sandra Bernhard
Sandra Bernhard
Sandra Bernhard is an American comedian, singer, actress and author. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy in which she often bitterly critiques celebrity culture and political figures. Bernhard is number 97 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of...
appears in a cameo role as a Grouch Diner Waitress. Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase is an American comedian, writer, and television and film actor, born into a prominent entertainment industry family. Chase worked a plethora of odd jobs before moving into comedy acting with National Lampoon...
appears as a newscaster. Paul Bartel
Paul Bartel
Paul Bartel was an American actor, writer and director. Bartel was perhaps most known for his 1982 hit black comedy Eating Raoul, which he wrote, starred in and directed.-Life and career:...
appears as a Grouch Diner Cook. John Candy
John Candy
John Franklin Candy was a Canadian actor and comedian. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City and its related Second City Television series, and through his appearances in comedy films such as Stripes, Splash, Cool Runnings, The Great Outdoors, Spaceballs, and Uncle...
appears as a state trooper. Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
portrays a Turkey truck driver.
Muppet Performers
- Caroll SpinneyCaroll SpinneyCaroll Edwin Spinney, sometimes credited as Carroll Spinney or Ed Spinney , is an American puppeteer most famous for playing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on the children's television show Sesame Street.-Life and career:...
as Big BirdBig BirdBig Bird is a protagonist of the children's television show Sesame Street. Big Bird, like many of the other Sesame Street characters, is a Muppet character. He is sometimes referred to simply as "Bird" by his friends....
, Oscar the GrouchOscar the GrouchOscar the Grouch is a Muppet character on the television program Sesame Street. He has a green body , has no nose , and lives in a trash can. His favorite thing in life is trash; evidence for this is the song "I Love Trash". A running theme is his compulsive hoarding of seemingly useless items...
and Bruno the Trashman - Pam ArcieroPam ArcieroPam Arciero is puppeteer and voice-over artist who portrays Oscar the Grouch's girlfriend, Grundgetta, on Sesame Street.-Career:Arciero earned her Master's in Puppetry from the University of Connecticut....
as Grundgetta - Fred Garver as Barkley
- Jim HensonJim HensonJames Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
as Kermit the FrogKermit the FrogKermit the Frog is puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, first introduced in 1955. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably as the host of The Muppet Show, and has appeared in various sketches on Sesame Street, in commercials and in public service announcements over...
and ErnieErnieErnie is a fictional character, a Muppet on the Public Broadcasting Service's long-running children's television show, Sesame Street. He and his roommate Bert form a comic duo that is one of the program's centerpieces, with Ernie acting the role of the naïve troublemaker and Bert the world-weary foil... - Richard HuntRichard Hunt (puppeteer)Richard Hunt was an American puppeteer best known as a Muppet performer. Hunt's Muppet roles included Scooter, Beaker, Janice, Statler, and Sweetums.-Early years:...
as Gladys the Cow and Feathered Friends Owl - Trish Leeper as Performer of Mommy Dodo
- Kathryn MullenKathryn MullenKathryn "Kathy" Mullen is an actress, voice actress, and puppeteer most closely associated with Jim Henson projects. She began performing on The Muppet Show in its third season, primarily as Gaffer the Backstage Cat...
as Feathered Friends Magistrate and Grouch Diner Patron - Frank OzFrank OzFrank Oz is a British-born American film director, actor, voice actor and puppeteer who is known for creating and performing the characters Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear in The Muppet Show, Cookie Monster, Bert and Grover in Sesame Street, and for directing films, including the 1986 Little Shop of...
as Cookie MonsterCookie MonsterCookie Monster is a Muppet on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is best known for his voracious appetite and his famous eating phrases: "Me want cookie!", "Me eat cookie!", and "Om nom nom nom" . He often eats anything and everything, including danishes, donuts, lettuce, apples,...
, Bert and GroverGroverGrover is a Muppet character on the popular television show Sesame Street. Self-described as lovable, cute and furry, he is a monster who almost never uses contractions when speaking or singing.... - Noel MacNealNoel MacNealNoel MacNeal is a puppeteer, writer, and director of children's television, best known as the voice and puppeteer of Bear in Bear in the Big Blue House and Breakfast with Bear...
as Madame Chairbird - Jerry NelsonJerry NelsonJerry Nelson is an American Muppet puppeteer, known for his wide range of characters, singing abilities, and his frequent partnership with Richard Hunt.-Early years:...
as Count von CountCount von CountCount von Count, often known simply as "The Count", is one of the Muppet characters on Sesame Street, performed by Jerry Nelson. The Count is a vampire modeled after Bela Lugosi's interpretation of Count Dracula.-Description:...
and Herry Monster - Gord Robertson as Performer of Daddy Dodo
- Martin P. RobinsonMartin P. RobinsonMartin P. Robinson is a puppeteer for the Jim Henson Company. He originally built, designed, and performed the puppets for Little Shop of Horrors. He is perhaps best known for his work on Sesame Street. He has performed the characters of Telly Monster, Slimey the Worm, Mr. Snuffleupagus, and Tony...
as Mr. SnuffleupagusAloysius SnuffleupagusAloysius Snuffleupagus, more commonly known as Mr. Snuffleupagus or Snuffy, is one of the Muppet characters on the longest-running educational television program for young children, Sesame Street. He was created as a woolly mammoth, without tusks or ears, and has a long thick pointed tail, similar...
, Telly MonsterTelly MonsterTelly Monster, known usually as just Telly, is an eternally worrying, fuchsia monster Muppet on Sesame Street. He is puppeteered by Martin P. Robinson....
and Grouch Diner Patron - Cheryl WagnerCheryl WagnerCheryl Wagner, the creator of The Big Comfy Couch, is a Gemini Award and Emmy award- winning Canadian children’s television writer, showrunner and producer who began her career as a performer in both theatre and on the screen...
as Performer of Miss Finch - Jeff Weiser as Performer of Donnie Dodo
- Shari Weiser as Performer of Marie Dodo
- Bryant YoungBryant YoungBryant Colby Young is an American football coach serving as defensive line coach for the University of Florida and former NFL player for the San Francisco 49ers...
as Rear End of Mr. Snuffleupagus
Board of Birds Members performed by Terry Angus
Terry Angus
Terence "Terry" Angus is a retired English professional footballer who played for VS Rugby, Northampton Town, Fulham, Slough Town and Nuneaton Borough. Despite a series of injuries, Angus was still active as a player up to the age of 40. He is particularly a legend at Nuneaton Borough, known as...
, Kevin Clash
Kevin Clash
Kevin Jeffrey Clash is an American puppeteer and voice actor whose characters include Elmo, Baby Sinclair, Clifford, Splinter and Hoots the Owl...
, Tim Gosley
Tim Gosley
Tim Gosley is a Canadian puppeteer who is primarily known for his work on numerous Muppet productions. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting from the University of Alberta and studied puppeteering with Richard Hunt from 1981-1983. He began his career portraying several minor characters on the...
, Trish Leeper, Rob Mills
Rob Mills
Rob Mills is an Australian singer best known as one of the finalists from Australian Idol 2003. He was a co-host on the late-night quiz show The Mint as well as a regular singer on the game show The Singing Bee both on the Nine Network...
, John Pattison, Martin P. Robinson
Martin P. Robinson
Martin P. Robinson is a puppeteer for the Jim Henson Company. He originally built, designed, and performed the puppets for Little Shop of Horrors. He is perhaps best known for his work on Sesame Street. He has performed the characters of Telly Monster, Slimey the Worm, Mr. Snuffleupagus, and Tony...
, Bob Stutt
Bob Stutt
Bob Stutt is a Canadian puppeteer/writer, who has starred in various children's television programs throughout his career.He has appeared in the following television series:* Canadian Sesame Street – Basil...
, and Nikki Tilroe
Nikki Tilroe
Nikki Tilroe was an Emmy Award-winning American puppeteer. She is best known for her work as the "Mime Lady" on the children's television series Today's Special...
Musical numbers
- "The Grouch Anthem" - Oscar, Grouch chorus
- "Ain't No Road Too Long" - Turkey truck driver, Gordon, Olivia, Cookie Monster, Count von Count, Grover, Bert, Ernie, Big Bird
- "One Little Star" - Big Bird, Olivia, Mr. Snuffleupagus
- "Easy Goin' Day" - Big Bird, Ruthie
- "Upside-Down World" - Ernie, Bert
- "I'm So Blue" - Big Bird
Reception
The film was a critical success upon its release. On Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.com Follow That Bird currently has a "Certified Fresh" rating of 91%.
Box office
The film grossed only $2,415,626 on its opening weekend. By the end of its theatrical run, its total gross was $13,961,370.DVD release
Follow That Bird was released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on February 5, 2002 and was available only in a 4:3 full screen edition. It was re-released in a special "25th Anniversary Edition" on March 24, 2009, presented in its original theatrical 1.85:1 widescreen format for the first time in the U.S. in 20 years. The re-released version is enhanced for display on 16×9 monitors.